Friday, May 02, 2014

Ants On A Log As Preventive Medicine

Ants n A LogMost Fun Medicine Ever!

My doctor recommended I change my diet to improve my blood pressure. It's a lot cheaper than medicine (and a lot wiser than doing nothing.)
However, I was startled at the recommendation: "Three stalks a day."
Three stalks - every day? That's a lot of celery. How would I do that?
I sure do like salad. Most Sunday evenings, I chop up a big bowl of green salad, starting with a quality lettuce (no iceberg! it has almost zero nutrition) and adding whatever's at hand in the fridge: carrots, radishes, whatever. My yard garden adds chives and, lately, dandelion greens (including the yellow flowers in moderation). Tofu, shredded cheese, a boiled egg, maybe a can of chickpeas - the mixing is a fun little game to see what the result is this week. I can then have salad every day til about Friday with no problem.
To get 3 stalks of celery in my five-day salad would be 15 stalks of celery!
Doc Wendy mentioned smoothies, which I suppose is a popular option, but I'm not really a smoothie guy. Maybe some day.
Then remembered something my sister Kat facebooked last month: Ants On A Log. I hadn't had those in years, but they seemed easy and tasty.
I put peanut butter (the real stuff - not the kind with sugar added) on a stalk of celery and topped with raisins (good potassium, fiber and all the sweetness you want) on a stalk of celery and cut into convenient lengths, and tasted.

Delicious!
This was a rare snack as a child, practically a party food if we had it at all, but now I could have as much as I want - and it's medically indicated!
Life is good.